Shattered Skye (The Skye Chronicles Book 3) Read online

  Shattered Skye

  By: Anna Moranski

  Adam and Drake. I love you more than chocolate… and that’s serious.

  Shattered Skye

  The Skye Chronicles Book Three

  Copyright 2015 by Create Space and Anna Leah Moranski

  All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events or real people are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Shattered Skye / Anna Leah Moranski. –1st Edition

  ISBN-13: 978-1505594843

  ISBN-10:1505594847

  [1. Paranormal—Fiction. 2. Romance—Fiction. 3. Supernatural—Fiction. 4. Fantasy- Fiction.] I. Title.

  Cover Art by Anna Moranski

  Edited by Kelly Scott

  First Edition

  Dedication

  It is so hard to thank everyone that deserves to be thanked. I am surrounded by wonderful people. I love them and they love me. How blessed am I for that? Very.

  I want to dedicate this book to two very special friends of mine. Both have been there for me and have helped me when I needed it… mentally, physically, or just support wise. Kelly and Courts, both of you have been a backbone for me when I sometimes didn’t have one.

  Courts we have been friends since my son was a baby. We talked late nights and early mornings to help each other through tough times. Thank you for being there for me.

  Kelly, you have been there for me for years as well. Not only as a friend and spiritual companion, but as my editor. You have been someone I could depend on when it came to my books and pretty much everything else. Thank you for all that you do.

  To all my other friends and family, I love you too. Words could never express my gratitude to you all. BB.

  A special note to my family.

  This year has been hard on us. Losing Paw has been one of the worst experiences of a lifetime. We will always have him in our hearts. We were blessed to have him in our lives and even more blessed that he loved us unconditionally. We have to be strong as a family and support each other and be there for Granny. I love you all and I’m here if you need me.

  Paw, I will always be your “Pain” as you nicknamed me. I love you forever.

  In Loving Memory of:

  Jobie Shepherd

  Also By This Author:

  Finding Abigail

  The Skye Chronicles:

  Shards of Skye

  Slivers of Skye

  Shattered Skye

  Coming Soon:

  The Pleasure Principle

  Check out facebook for more details:

  Anna Moranski Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter One

  Skye tried to convince herself that she wasn’t staring at Maddox. She was just looking in his general direction. She had no reason to stare at him. Certainly not because his shirt seemed to always be missing and his rock hard abs were bigger than she remembered. That didn’t bother her. Why should it? He was just a demon. Just a demon… like her.

  Skye noticed Buck watching her from the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly to look at him. He had a big goofy grin on his face that just screamed ‘I know you’re checking out my cousin!’ She wasn’t though, so that point was moot. Skye rolled her eyes at Buck’s widening grin and jumped up walking outside to get away from the overcrowded cabin they were staying in.

  They were in the middle of nowhere. She wondered briefly why they hadn’t named it “Nowhere.” This place certainly felt like it to her. The rolling mountains swallowed the cabin up gently, tucking it into a small valley and hiding it away. The trees and flowers were in full bloom. Spring truly brought out the beauty there.

  When they had first announced that they were going to Kentucky she went along with it without question. Skye just knew she needed to leave the city to keep her family safe. She didn’t realize until entering Kentucky that it seemed like a rather strange place to go. It was beautiful, there was no denying that, yet she kept going back to the thought that they were in the absolute middle of nowhere.

  Skye shrugged to herself and looked over the vast mountains surrounding her. The elf in her was overjoyed to be surrounded by such majestic beauty. There were hardly any restaurants, no tall buildings, and nothing to do besides train and be stuck in a cabin with both of her ex-boyfriends.

  That had been painful from the start and from the way they were acting it didn’t look as if they were going to end their silent feud anytime soon. She caught them many times in staring contests with each other. Or even better the ‘Who can sit closer to Skye’ game. Usually she would just get up and leave not being able to handle the testosterone they were exuding. Skye was just thankful they were at least being silent during their pissing contest.

  No one else was being quiet on the matter. The demons vehemently defended Maddox every chance they could get while Cloud and Evan defended Mike. Skye was thankful for her training sessions with her father. If it weren’t for them, she would go mad listening to everyone else’s opinion of who she should date.

  Skye heard a growling sound that interrupted her thoughts. It seemed to vibrate the porch she was standing on. She looked over to see a huge beautiful, yet terrifying, black bear. Skye froze trying to remember what to do. Were you supposed to run or play dead? The bear looked at Skye and as if sensing her fear. It sat down on the ground staring at her tilting its head to take her in. Odd behavior for a black bear. Then again maybe Kentucky bears weren’t as vicious as the ones you saw on TV, Skye thought.

  Before Skye could form another thought, the bear started to wiggle its body slowly. Its limbs contorting in the oddest way. Skye was sure the bear should not be bending its arm that way. Her eyes went wide with horror wondering what was happening to this beautiful bear. The bear’s fur fell off of its body and its size shrunk down in front of her leaving a very naked Kel staring at her with a huge grin. Skye sighed.

  “You’ve been with Buck too long. You have the same big goofy ass grin that he does.” Skye was trying to recover from the transformation she had just witnessed. Kel let out a loud laugh and grabbed a robe by the side of the porch putting it on.

  “I couldn’t resist. You’ve never watched me actually transform. Thought I could amuse you.” Her eyes beamed proudly at Skye.

  “Brat.” Skye muttered.

  “Hey you’ve seen me in several of my forms now.”

  “Kel, it’s a little different seeing you in other forms and then actually seeing you physically change. It looks excruciatingly painful, especially the way your body was contorting. Does it hurt?” Skye had t
o ask. She had always wondered but didn’t know if it was considered bad etiquette to ask. She figured if Kel had no problem changing in front her, than she had no problem asking.

  “It did when I first started doing it when I was young. You’re basically breaking all of your bones and rearranging them.” Skye cringed at the description.

  “Lovely.”

  “Hey you asked! But no, it doesn’t hurt anymore. It feels natural to me.”

  Natural. Skye picked the word out of the sentence and focused on it. She wasn’t natural. Being part elf, demon, and several other parts of messed up all mixed into one. Skye felt like a freak. She couldn’t fit in with light creatures or dark creatures. She looked at Kel who was slipping into regular clothes. Skye did fit in with some people. The ones that mattered most to her.

  “You were a cute bear.” Skye admitted.

  “I’m cute no matter what I am.” Kel winked as she walked into the cabin.

  A small movement from woods caught Skye’s attention. She saw pale hair that resembled her own and smiled. She quickly made her way over to her mother who was sitting surrounded by a patch of wildflowers in every color. In Cloud’s small hand sat an orange and black monarch butterfly. Its wing was slightly ripped and Skye could immediately sense the pain in her arm as if the pain were her own.

  “I just found this little guy,” Cloud said glancing up at Skye. Skye sat down in front of her mother. She carefully stretched her hands out and put them over her mother’s hands.

  Skye closed her eyes focusing on her light half. Deep inside of her heart she called to the light lilac color that represented her Elven half. She felt the light spreading from her heart down her arms into her fingertips and slowly meeting Cloud’s light beneath her hands. Skye opened her eyes as she lifted her hands and the monarch butterfly stretched its wings out, flapping them gently. Slowly it lifted off of Cloud’s hands and flew out of sight. Cloud smiled proudly at Skye.

  “That was amazing.”

  “Mom, it was easy to heal him. He was small. Healing isn’t hard.” Skye was always embarrassed when her mother bragged on her. She wasn’t used to having parents that were proud of her. It was hard for her to get used to. Cloud shook her head.

  “I’m not talking about your power. I know you’re powerful, Skye. I mean feeling his soul. His pain radiated through my arm and I could feel how terribly he suffered and how much he was ready to move on to the next life. He’s now healed and feels younger and happier than ever. Connecting with a soul like that, no matter how big or how small, leaves a trace in your heart.” Cloud placed her hand over Skye’s heart. “Can you feel him still?”

  Skye thought for a moment and realized her mother was right. She had felt the pain but she didn’t realize that she still felt what the butterfly was feeling. Skye closed her eyes, embracing his soul within her own. She could feel his happiness and how free he felt as he flew above the flowers in the mountains. Skye opened her eyes and nodded.

  “I guess I forget to think about it that way. Sorry.” Skye murmured.

  “Don’t be sorry. I just want you to remember it next time. I know with the mixed bloodlines inside of you that you may not always think or feel the way I do, but I want for you to embrace it whenever you use your light power.”

  Cloud reminded Skye of a very pale and blonde Snow White. She would even find her singing to the birds and other animals in the woods. Skye often wondered if her mother had a mean bone in her body. Seeing her smiling, sitting crossed legged in the middle of the woods made Skye think that she didn’t.

  “I saw you escape the house. Are the men in…” she thought for a moment, “a pissing contest again?” The words coming out of Cloud’s mouth sounded so foreign and wrong. Skye busted out laughing. “What?” Cloud asked.

  “Mom! That’s probably the closest thing to a bad word that I have heard you say! I’m shocked over here.” Skye’s smile said she was more proud of her mother, Cloud shrugged.

  “It’s what everyone else has been calling it. I don’t understand how a contest involving bodily functions like that has anything to do with winning your heart. It would make more sense if it were a sexual type thing. You know, like who measures up better in the bedroom department. Was that the issue? Sex?” Skye felt a little lightheaded at the bluntness of her mother.

  “Wow. Okay I know we told you to be open, but just wow.” Skye shook her head and looked at her mother. Cloud looked at her daughter seriously.

  “You don’t need to be shy about sex when it comes to me. Your father and I have sex several times a day and night.” Suddenly Skye wished she had stayed on the porch.

  “Oh, I know. Thin walls.” Skye commented. Cloud looked unashamed.

  “Sex with someone you love is a beautiful thing. There should be no shame there, only beauty.”

  “I’m not ashamed of having sex. I just never really talk about it. Kel tries to talk to me, but she more embarrasses me more than anything. I’m not used to being so blatantly open about everything. Lucille didn’t raise me that way. She never wanted to know what I was thinking or how I was feeling. Sex was only something that came up if she wanted to accuse me of being a slut.” Cloud cringed.

  “How she could be so vulgar to a child is despicable. I regret that you were raised that way. I knew you had to be with your father and he believed she would take care of you. We had no idea. Your Nanna never told us.” Cloud commented.

  “When Nanna did send you messages about me, what did she say?” Skye inquired.

  “She would say that you were healthy and that you seemed fine. She didn’t want to tell us more because she feared it would upset us to know details of a life we were missing out on. Maybe she was right, but every year I just wanted to know how you were doing. I wanted to know how much you smiled. I wanted to know how much you laughed…” Cloud drifted and looked to her hands, twisting them together. Skye grabbed her mother’s hands softly.

  “That feels like another life to me now. Today when I saw you over here sitting I smiled and I’m sure I’ll smile several more times today.” Cloud placed her hand over Skye’s cheek.

  “You have grown up so much since you first came to us. I’m proud of you.” Skye’s eyes glanced down and she felt the tears burning her eyes before her mother pulled her into a soft embrace. Skye held onto her mother and let the few tears flow.

  “I want to make you proud. I’m just so afraid of disappointing you.” Skye whispered. Cloud pulled back looking at Skye. Her face had light purple tears streaked with red falling down her face. Although it pained Cloud to see the mixed color, she didn’t show it.

  “You could never disappoint me.”

  “That’s not true. You know I have to use my dark powers if I’m going to help us. I know you don’t want me to use them Mom, but I don’t feel that the light powers are enough.” Skye sighed. “If I have to go ‘all demon’ on someone again I don’t want to see the look on your face that I saw back home when I was glowing red and covered in blood.”

  “I was in shock. Rightfully so I might add. It was new to me and I didn’t know you could access those parts of your powers. It was a terrifying night and no one ever wants to see their child covered in blood. Am I disappointed in you? Never.” Cloud wiped Skye’s face free from the tears that lingered.

  “I love you.” Skye whispered.

  “Oh baby girl, I love you too.” Cloud hugged her again and then helped her to her feet.

  Cloud looked over Skye’s shoulder and let out a small sigh. Skye didn’t have to turn to know Maddox was headed their way. She could always feel him near her. The electrical pull between them had only grown stronger. She had hoped it would lessen with time, but what was inside of her called to what was inside of him. Cloud kissed Skye’s cheek and walked towards the cabin. Skye turned to see her mother give Maddox a look of warning. Maddox smiled to her nodding as he walked to Skye.

  “Why are you crying?” he asked before she even had time to say a word.

  “M
addox it really is none of your business.” Skye said.

  “I’m here to help protect you so I’d say it is my business.” He started to touch her cheek but Skye turned away before he could. She walked off further into the woods. She heard him following her and turned to look at him.

  “What?” Skye asked.

  “Tell me why you were crying, please?” The look on his face made her heart give a little squeeze.

  “I was just having a moment with my mom. I just don’t want her disappointed in the part of me that isn’t a light creature.”

  “She loves your father.” Maddox stated the obvious.

  “I know that.”

  “He is the one who passed what you are down to you. She has not once looked at him differently. Why would you think she would dismiss her own daughter then?”

  “Maddox, he doesn’t use his dark half. I do.”

  “You aren’t evil. You used it to protect your family and yourself. You practice with it now so that you can do the same thing when the time comes. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “I know. It’s just so damned complicated. Everything is complicated.” Skye whispered looking into his face.

  “Complicated? Like living with your two ex-boyfriends kind of complicated?” Skye was about to laugh when Maddox moved quickly and had her leaning against a tree. His body pressing against hers made her gasp. He lowered his face down to her. She felt his breath tickling her cheek as he traced his lips around to her ear. “Complicated because you want me to touch you?” His breath in her ear made her shiver.

  “Maddox…” her voice was weak and she hated that.

  “Skye,” he whispered back kissing her jaw softly. “You are so beautiful. It hurts not to be near you.” Every part of him that was hard pressed into every part of her that was soft. She let out a strangled moan and grabbed his shoulders digging her nails slightly in.

  “Stop.” she managed to say. Her body wanted him, there was no doubt about that, but she was not there to be seduced. Maddox let out a shaky breath and stepped back immediately. Skye looked surprised at how quickly he had obeyed.